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India invites Pakistan's Commerce Minister for WTO talks in Delhi amid cease-fire violations by Pak along LoC, IB

The Move Has Left Many Political Pundits Surprised As The Timing Of The Invitation Comes Amid The Heightened Tension Between Indian And Pakistan Due To Ceasefire Violations Along The International Border And Line Of Control.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Gautam Lalotra | Updated on: 26 Feb 2018, 08:28:35 AM
India and Pakistan - File Photo

New Delhi:

India has once again tried to bring a calming influence to soured relations with its neighbour Pakistan by inviting their Commerce Minister, Pervaiz Malik, to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting taking place in Delhi on March 19-20. 

As per reports in Indian Express, Malik is said to have confirmed his attendance. The move has left many political pundits surprised as the timing of the invitation comes amid the heightened tension between Indian and Pakistan due to ceasefire violations along the International border and Line of Control.

The invitation to Malik comes in the wake of the late-December secret back-channel negotiations between the two national security advisors, Ajit Doval and Nasser Janjua, first reported in The Indian Express, and takes place after the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) threatened to isolate Pakistan over the weekend if it didn’t stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

As the decision to participate in the SAARC summit, to be held in Pakistan, comes up again for consideration by the Centre — India and several other South Asian nations had refused to go last year, ensuring a cancellation of the summit — Delhi is planning a more nuanced Pakistan policy than it has been seen since the Pathankot attacks two years ago.

Diplomatic sources from India and Pakistan have confirmed that the two sides have decided to undertake an exchange of all their prisoners in their respective jails. They will soon begin this exercise by releasing the “most vulnerable,” that is, women and children and mentally disturbed prisoners, some of whom languish behind bars after long outliving their original sentence.

As many as 50 “vulnerable” prisoners are said to be living in pitiful conditions in Indian and Pakistani jails.

This most obvious of humane steps will now be carried out alongside targeted measures already being undertaken to control militancy inside Jammu & Kashmir as well on the Line of Control and the international border.

However, under pressure by the international community to “reach out” to the Pakistani government and its civil society, Delhi has withdrawn its objections to participating in multilateral meetings with Pakistan.

As reported by The Indian Express, Delhi even hosted a four-member team from the Pakistani security and intelligence establishment — including its director-general in charge of counter-terrorism in the Pakistan foreign ministry — from January 31 to February 2 in Delhi, along with similar delegations from other SCO participating nations.

The invitation to the Pakistani Commerce Minister should be seen in that light, diplomatic sources said. Sartaj Aziz, then foreign affairs advisor, was the last Pakistani leader to visit India in December 2016 for the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan in Amritsar.

Malik will, of course, meet his host, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, but it isn’t clear yet whether he will also be received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

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First Published : 26 Feb 2018, 08:22:06 AM

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